A Little Black Notebook
by MadGeorge
Summary: Sara Uncovers Something That Changes The Way She Sees Greg. Please R&R, Should I Write More?
1. So Naive

Sara sat quietly on her couch, her brown hair swept up in a messy ponytail, watching her favourite show, Cold Case Files. Normally she would have been thinking about the cases, but tonight she was distracted. She couldn't help but think about what she had overheard, and seen, that evening, it had been such a surprise that she had been unable to think about anything else all night. It was almost unfathomable, she knew that Greg had always had a bit of a crush on her, but when she had heard him talking to Nick and Warrick, she couldn't help but be curious. She was replaying those moments in her head, over and over, almost willing them to be simple figments of her imagination, but somehow she knew they weren't and that she would have to deal with it sooner or later.

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Greg sat in the break room, deep in thought, a black spiral notebook open in front of him, and an open can of Red Bull nearby. All of a sudden the silence was punctuated by Nicks voice over his shoulder, "Hey Greggo, whatcha doing, man?" Sara walked toward the room, looking forward to her evening pick-me-up, a cup of hot coffee, and a little bag of M&Ms. "God, Greg, are you at it again? Sara'll go nuts if she ever finds out about this." Sara paused, maybe this wasn't her time to barge in, but listening outside wasn't a crime was it? Greg sighed, "Yeah, Nick, she would. Which is why we're never gonna tell her, right? Look, it's embarrassing enough that everyone, including Sara, knows I like her, but this would really make my life fun, so gimme a break huh?" Warrick came in through the other door, "yeah Nick, give Greg a break, his little diary is funny enough…" "It is NOT a diary" Greg insisted "it's a record of my thoughts, and any… creative impulses I may have, look guys, do me a favour and just drop it already."

Sara was confused, why would Greg freak out so much over a little diary? Nick and Warrick chuckled, "Greg, you know Warrick and I are just messing with you, we won't tell Sara, promise, now do us all a favour and stop moping, put that thing away." "Thanks guys" said Greg, "sorry if I got a little wound, but I've really gone out of my way to be sure that Sara hasn't seen that thing, and I'd really prefer if it were to stay that way."

All of a sudden, Nick's pager went off, "crap, no break tonight, Grissom calls. Come on 'rick, what's the betting that if he needs me, he probably wants you as well." The two took off, "later Greg!" Warrick called. Sara chuckled to herself, Warrick and Nick were like the jocks she remembered from high school, they rushed everywhere, and were fiercely competitive, and Greg was like the captain of the chess team, smart, but not obnoxiously so. But there was this unspoken understanding between them, she almost wondered how they got along without driving each other nuts. She watched Greg finish his Red Bull, and throw out the can, she watched him carefully hide the notebook within Grissoms pile of papers near the coffee machine, then as he walked out, he turned back, looked over at the pile, shook his head, and headed toward the lab.

After a few minutes, Sara couldn't take it any more, she was so curious about why he didn't want her to see that book. She slunk in, and, quickly forgetting her coffee, sifted through the papers until she felt the spiral spine of the book. Her heart pounded as she sat down at the table, she knew that whatever this book held, it was probably not going to be any of the things she might expect.

Slowly, she opened the book, the inside cover was entirely unremarkable, with just the name "Greg Sanders" written inside, she scanned the first page, looking for any indication of why he was so vehemently against her seeing this. Soon enough, she found her name, "the reason I started this book is, well, not really a reason, her name is Sara Sidle, and she dominates my thoughts, day in and day out". That's all it said, she wondered why it wasn't more descriptive, but she knew that Greg often thought in that way, sort of, fragmented, sure enough, in the next sentence, he was on about his video games.

She couldn't help but laugh, Greg was like a little child, going quickly from one thing to another without the slightest indication. She wasn't so worried anymore, so he wrote how he felt about her, it wasn't anything she didn't already know, why was he so worried? It was just a little crush, he'd get over it in time. She turned the page, and started reading, there were doodles in the margins, and it was dated about 3 months before that day. Her eyes grew wider as she read. She was beginning to understand.

"Today Sara was wearing a tight, black shirt with a jean jacket, she looked so pretty, I couldn't take my eyes off her, she noticed me staring, and I felt like I was naked, it was so embarrassing. I can't believe what an idiot I am, she's too good for me, sometimes I wonder how I keep going."

Saras mind was reeling, she remembered that day, and she had noticed Greg staring at her, she had given him a saucy little wink and he had blushed and turned away, she had laughed to herself, and not thought about it since.

"It feels like Sara is taunting me, she knows that I like her, and lately she seems to be hanging around a lot more, I wonder if maybe she feels the same way."

Saras lips drooped into a frown, she felt bad for Greg, she had had a tough case going then, and she had needed to be in the DNA office a lot. Poor Greg, he had thought she was going out of her way to be around him, but that wasn't what she had been doing, was it?

The rest of the page carried on the same way, eventually she couldn't take reading it. She turned a few pages, there was just more of the same, and a few mundane notes about appointments, or the way his shift went. But then, dated about 2 weeks before that day's date, she found something that broke her heart, she barely held back the tears as she read the heading on the page, "A Letter For Sara". She thought back to that day, she could remember that Greg had seemed a little quieter, that was the day that he had asked her to take her break with him, but a pressing case had taken her away before she could keep her promise. For the rest of that week he had been reserved around her, and even a little morose, everyone had noticed it, but Sara had chalked it up to a stressful week. Even though she felt that this was too private for her to read, she couldn't take he eyes away.

"Sweetest Sara, I know that you know that I like you, but I need to get it off my chest, it has been more then 3 years now, since that day we met, since the day I fell in love with you. The way your eyes sparkle when you smile, the cute little gap in your teeth, how many times have I thought about if I would feel it if I kissed you? When I see you smile, I melt, your laugh is like a wind chime, soft and beautiful, and I wish that I could hear it all the time. And when you cried over Hank, I would go home and cry too, because I knew that no matter what, I would never treat you that way, I wanted to kill him for doing that to you. One day, I saw you crying in the break room, and I knew it was because of him, but you wouldn't confide in me, and that broke my heart."

Sara noticed that here, there were teardrops on the paper. She wiped her eyes, how was she to know he felt so strongly? Poor Greg, this must be so hard for him.

"That day, when the victim who looked like you came in, I had to call in sick, I slept all day and cried because I realised that this was how I would feel if I lost you. If that were to ever happen, I don't think I could go on. The other day, I was sitting in my lab, deliriously thinking of you, I had seen you that morning, you seemed so happy, and when I saw you hug Nick, and kiss him on the cheek, I felt like my heart had ripped in two."

"Kissed Nick on the cheek?" Sara thought, "only because he brought me a chocolate bar, we were just being friendly." Evidently Greg didn't realise that.

"Sara, when you smile, I smile, when you cry, I cry, I feel like I can't change this, I have never felt this way about anyone before. I can't explain it, Sara. But I feel like I'm meant to be with you, I love you Sara, I couldn't stop if I tried. Love Forever, Greggo."

Sara finished reading the letter, partly aghast at this new side of Greg, and partly surprised at how sweet he could be. She heard a noise, turned around and was faced with Gregs retreating back. She got up and followed him into the parking lot, he got into his car, and for a moment, their eyes met. It was all Greg could do not to cry, but he knew that now, it was up to her.


	2. I Couldn't Stop If I Tried

Sara's mind was reeling as she stood in the parking lot and watched Greg's car drive away. Greg had always joked around with her, how could he have been feeling this way all that time? She had always been a little awkward around guys he liked. Maybe she had just imagined it, but then again, why would Greg leave without saying goodbye? Slowly, she turned and walked, rubbing her temples, back into the building. Then she remembered! She had left Greg's book on the table… Open.

Nick and Warrick knew he HAD the book, but what if they read that letter? She didn't want to think about it. She started to move faster, until soon she was running, she wove through the hallways back to the break room, she opened the door and stopped to catch her breath, and when she looked up, the book was still sitting open on the table. Nick and Warrick were seated across the table, with no indication that they had actually touched it.

Quietly, she seated herself before the book, the seat was still warm from before, she realised then that she had not imagined it, she really had read those words Greg had worked so hard to censor. Slowly, so as not to draw attention to herself, she closed the notebook and walked over to the carefully selected hiding place, and, slipping it between the papers, let out a sigh of relief. She moved toward the cupboards and pulled out the M&Ms she had forgotten before. She laid them on the counter near the coffee maker, and poured herself a steaming mug. She looked curiously at Nick, who was still smirking as he read the funny pages from that day's paper, and at Warrick, who was looking straight at her.

She was surprised that Warrick was looking so closely at her, and that he had said nothing, normally he greeted her warmly, sometimes with a hug, but today the vibe seemed different. "S'okay Sara" said Nick, breaking his silence, " 'rick is still a little shocked by that book of Gregs…" He smirked. "Yeah, we read it. What, you didn't notice that the page was turned? Man Sara, for a CSI, you sure miss a lot." Sara blushed. She couldn't believe it, she had let poor Greg down twice today, once by reading his private book, and twice by accidentally letting Nick and Warrick do the same. Warrick shook his head, as if to jog his memory, "Sorry Sara, but Greg never let us see anything but those first few pages, when we saw that letter thing, we had to read it. It was our choice, and totally not your fault."

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Sara suddenly found herself back on her couch, the TV still on. She turned it off, it was too distracting. For the first time in ages, she simply couldn't lose herself in her favourite crime show. She was so confused about Greg, she wondered about one statement he had made, about wondering if she felt the same way. Before, she had dismissed the possibility, but now, she was left wondering. She HAD spent an awful lot of time in Greg's lab then, sometimes when she didn't expect results, had she simply been eager to see him? They _had_ had a lot of fun on those days. But she couldn't wrap her mind around it, how could she, Sara Sidle, have feelings for Greg Sanders? He was so much younger, and so immature.

She got up to clear her head and walked into her kitchen, she opened a cupboard and pulled out a takeout menu, but she couldn't decide on a meal, but she needed something to take her mind off Greg. She walked over to her fridge and opened it, maybe a cold drink would help. Inside her fridge were three bottles of Gatorade Ice, orange of course, and six cans of Red Bull, Gregs drink of choice from earlier that evening. She grabbed a bottle of Gatorade and slammed the fridge door, why did everything have to remind her of the decision she was faced with? She sat down at her battered kitchen table, opened her drink, and took a swig as her police scanner buzzed with static.

Sara awoke with a start, her phone was ringing. Her Gatorade was warming on the table, and her scanner was still buzzing, albeit more quietly then she remembered. She jogged into the living room and picked up the receiver of her cordless phone. "Sidle" She answered groggily. "Hi, Sara? It's Catherine, Nick told me he was worried about you, apparently you found Gregs book." "Yeah, I did, but it's no big deal" Sara lied, "I'd forgotten about it completely." "Sure you did Sara" said Catherine, sounding sceptical, "anyway, Sara, look, it's 2:00 in the afternoon, and if I'm not mistaken, you've probably spent all morning listening to that damn scanner" Sara rolled her eyes, was she really this predictable? "So Miss Sidle, I want you to get out of your house for a while, come on, I'll buy you lunch. I'll be there in 30 minutes, bye!" "But Cath…" Sara started, but it was too late, Catherine had already hung up. Shoot, now she'd have to go out, this was the last thing she needed; first Nick, now Catherine, next Grissom would be teasing her about that damned book.

Sara sat thinking for a few minutes, maybe she should totally avoid the subject of the notebook when Catherine arrived, but knowing Cath, she would probably keep going until eventually she would have to discuss the sensitive subject. "I'll show Catherine" Sara thought, as she jogged to her bedroom, "I'll get dressed up more nicely then usual, maybe even a little makeup, that'll show Cath that I'm not thinking about that book." She went through her wardrobe, until she found the perfect outfit, her favourite black skirt, a black T-shirt and a dark denim jacket, "there we go" she thought, "black and mysterious, that's me." She went over to her bathroom, and pulled out the makeup she owned, not much, but enough to make herself look nice. She pulled out a little bottle of liquid eyeliner that Cath had given her on her birthday, and slowly contoured her eyes, just at that moment, the doorbell rang, "shit, Cath's here already, better get going" she stopped, screwed on the lid of the bottle, and put it away.

Catherine waited outside Saras door, she wondered what was taking Sara so long to answer, she could hear her inside, it sounded like she was rushing around, and the dull buzz of the police scanner gave her away, Catherine had been right. She must have been listening to it all morning. All of a sudden, Sara threw open the door, she was panting, Catherine looked her over, taking in her clothing and the traces of makeup. "Well Cath? Ready to go?" Sara asked, Catherine could tell she was pretending to be excited. "Come on Sar', let's get going, where shall we go? Your choice, IHOP, or should we just get a coffee at Starbucks?" "Wow Cath, um, I'm pretty hungry, is IHOP ok?", "Sure Sara, your choice, let's go."

They walked the three flights of stairs to the car park in silence, but it wasn't an awkward silence, they didn't need to talk. When they got to Catherines car, Sara climbed into the passenger seat. Catherine Started the car and they drove the 10 or so minutes to the nearest IHOP. Once they arrived, they were seated by a chipper little waitress who was so happy looking she didn't even seem real.

When they sat down, Sara spoke for the first time since they had left her apartment. "You know Cath, you didn't need to do all this, I'm okay, really." Catherine rolled her eyes, "Yeah, you're okay, that's why you're wearing the outfit Greg wrote about in that first entry. You aren't thinking about that book at all. You know, that's the problem with you Sara, you pretend you don't think about things, but you do, just give up the act Sara, how do you really feel?"

Sara sighed, at that moment their waitress appeared, "ready to order ladies?" "Um, blueberry pancakes and a coffee please." Said Sara, "Cath, what about you?" "Ooh, it all looks so good, um, you know what? I'll have the same, thanks." The waitress swept off, and Sara looked up at Catherine, "Look Cath, when I found that book, I wasn't sure what to think, I'm still not sure, and I need some time to be sure. But mostly, I need to see Greg tonight, I think that may help me decide what to do. But for now I can't give you a straight answer. I don't know how I feel about Greg, but I had some thoughts last night that I need to clear up, so let's just have lunch, and talk about something else." "Okay Sara." Catherine said, looking like she didn't quite believe her, "but when you're ready to talk, I'm here." "Thanks Cath, I appreciate that, look, here comes our food!"

The two ate in silence, with occasional mutterings of "MMM" or "this is great", once they were finished, Sara reached for her wallet, but Catherine waved it away, "I said I'd buy you lunch, so I'm paying, _NOT_ you." There was a sort of finality in the way she said it, Sara knew there was no way she was going to win this argument. Catherine paid the bill, and drove Sara home, "bye Sara, see you tonight, do me a favour, and think about what I said. It'll do you good." "I promise Cath, thanks, really, I'll think about it, trust me, I have been thinking about it. I won't stop." And then, in her head "I couldn't stop if I tried."


	3. Meditations

Catherine watched Sara head back to her building, her head hanging a little, she looked a little sad, Catherine hoped she hadn't been too harsh with her, but it had needed to be said. Everyone except Sara had seen Gregs little black notebook at one time or another before now, but now that Sara had seen it, it was all out in the open. And they were all eager to get Sara to clue in. Greg was obviously in love, totally gone, and now that they had read that letter, they knew it was true, and they knew that Sara needed to get a move on.

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Sara walked back to her apartment, her thoughts rushing through her too quickly for her to focus on just one. She couldn't figure out how Catherine had known that it was all an act, and looking down, she realised she was in fact wearing the outfit Greg had written about. Had she done it on purpose? Was her subconscious mind that strong of an influence? Evidently she had a lot to think about. She swiped her entrance card and walked the three flights up for the third time that day, when she got to her apartment, she opened the door, and went back to her favourite place, on her couch, she looked at her watch, she had 3 hours until her shift. Lots of time to think. She lay back and tried to think, but like so many times before, she fell asleep.

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Greg lay in his apartment, his eyes red and itchy. He had lain awake all night worrying about Sara, she had seen his notebook. Someone must have told her, but whom? Probably Nick, he had always made fun of the book, or the "little diary" as he called it. How could he? They had all known that there were parts of that book nobody but Greg was meant to see. But somehow, they'd all seen it now. He didn't care if Nick or Warrick saw it, not even Grissom or Catherine, but he knew that Sara had read it now, and that was all that mattered.

He sat up; a thought hitting him like a freight train, what if Sara felt the same way? He quickly dismissed the possibility, Sara was beautiful, smart, sexy, and pretty much perfect in his eyes, why would she go for a someone like him, younger, awkward looking, and goofy. He had a feeling that this was going to make life at the lab difficult, but he wasn't sure just how difficult. He thought of her face when she had looked at him in his car, and he felt tears rushing to his eyes, he bent his head and cried until he forgot about everything. The CD that had been playing ended, but he didn't restart it, the phone rang, once, twice, three times, but he didn't answer it. He didn't care who it was, even if it was Sara, she was probably calling to reject him. And that was the last thing he needed right now.


	4. Total Gridlock

DISCLAIMER: I forgot to put these at the beginning of the other chapters, so here it is now, I DO NOT OWN CSI, I NEVER WILL, YES ITS SAD, BUT IM OVER IT. Although I am going to buy the dvds the second they hit shelves.

A/n: apparently putting these in is important (thanks kt, I'm pretty new to this) so yeah, I promise that I will actually address the issue at hand here. This chapter will have some resolution for poor Greggo, I promise, 

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Sara entered the building right on time for her shift, she was never late, and she wasn't about to break her record because of that book. She had done a lot of thinking, and she was pretty sure that she knew what to do, now all she had to do was find Greg. She made her way slowly to the DNA lab, but when she entered, Greg was nowhere in sight, it wasn't like him to be late. She had a bad feeling about it, but dismissed it as nerves, after all, she had done a lot of thinking. She decided to put it out of her mind, she could wait another night… couldn't she?

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Greg was stuck in traffic near his house, there was a big concert going on nearby and it was total gridlock. "Tonight of all nights…" he grumbled to himself, he knew that Catherine had been talking to Sara about his notebook. Why did he have to be late on the night,when this horrible yearning he'd endured for three years, might end? All of a sudden, traffic started moving, Greg got a glimmer of hope, but then it stopped again, as suddenly as it had started. He had no choice, he pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

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Grissoms cell phone rang, he answered. "Grissom" "Grissom? It's Greg, sorry, but I'm gonna be pretty late tonight, traffic around here is total gridlock, I might be up to another hour." Grissom noted a sad tone in Gregs voice, "Greg, are you sure that you aren't doing this for another reason? Related to something that happenned on yesterdays shift?" Greg couldn't believe his ears, "My God. _How does everybody know?_" He asked incredulously. Grissom smiled, despite himself, "Greg, we're CSIs, those of us who didn't figure it out have seen that book, and besides, did you think I wouldn't have read it, when you kept it in a pile of my papers?" Greg bashed his head against the steering wheel. Hindsight was 20/20, "Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best choice, but why didn't anybody tell me before that they knew about it?", "Look Greg, How embarrassed are you now that you know? _That's_ why we didn't tell you. Now hurry up, we need you tonight." Grissom hung up, sometimes Greg could be so naïve.

Grissom entered the room, carrying two folders with the day's assignments, late, for one of the first times, and found his team sitting around the table, waiting for the night's assignments. Catherine was sitting reading a Cosmo, Nick and Warrick were discussing plays from the previous days football game, and Sara was trying to look natural, reading a crime book, but Grissom could tell she wasn't focused on it. She looked a little green, and every 10 or so seconds she would take a huge gulp from a thermos full of coffee. He sighed, "okay everyone, time to get to work, Warrick and Catherine, we've got a Break and Enter near the strip" He handed Catherine a folder, "Nicky, you always say you wanna handle a D/B solo, well, tonight's your night", he handed Nick the other folder he was carrying. "Sara, you already know your assignment, hopefully you'll do the right thing. Me? I'll be focusing on that case we still haven't solved from last week, any questions, I'll be in my office, get going."

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Sara stared stright ahead, her crime novel fell to the table with a dull thud, she didn't pick it up. Had she imagined what Grissom had just said? She scannd the table for a third folder, or any indication that he had actually given her a job. Nothing. When he said he hoped she'd do the right thing, she was sure he was referring to Greg, but what _was_ the right thing? She was already sure of what to do, but she was still a little nervous, and even more confused. She decided that there was only one way to know for sure. With a little bit of guilt, she walked over to the pile of papers, she ruffled through them until she once again felt the spine of that precious book.

She turned around and headed back to the table in silence, the room seemed eerily quiet, the sounds from the rest of the building were muffled. She sat back in the chair and opened the book, it fell open at one of the few pages that had born no mention of her. She turned through a few until her eyes fell again on that letter, the letter that had started this whole thing.

She suffered through the first few lines before her eyes welled up, but she knew that she had to finsih it. As she read, she lost herself in the words, almost hearing Greg's voice. She turned around to make sure that she wasn't having one of those movie moments where you hear someones voice and turn around to have them standing behind you. She almost hoped that she was, but yet when she turned around, she was utterly alone.

Before she knew it, she was at the end of the letter, her mind had not changed, and as she sat, tears running down her cheeks, she turned the page, and she kept turning, until she found the part she had needed to read, it was dated the day before. It was the entry Nick had caught Greg writing. She dropped the book to the table, stood up, grabbed a box of tissues, she had a feeling she would need them, and refilled her thermos. She walked slowly back to the table, and took her seat. The book was still open at the last written page, it was nearly full now. She pulled the book into her lap and began to read.

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Greg was relieved, the traffic had picked up, and he was on his way, he would be there in abuot 20 minutes, unless something else went wrong, and since bad things usually came in threes, he had a feeling he was done, first, Sara had read his book, second, everyone in the lab suddenly knew, and third, the traffic jam. He was almost glad for it to be over with. He switched on the radio, it was one of those cheesy call-in shows, where you could dedicate a song to someone you loved, normally, he would have changed it to his favourite hard rock station, but tonight, for whatever reason, he left it. He listened to the stories of romance, of lost love, and just about everything in between, one woman even called to dedicate a song to her teacher at university, who was helping her pass a difficult course. By the time five songs had played, Greg arrived at the lab.

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Sara had read most of the previous days entry, and she was crying like a baby now, he had written her a short love poem, it wasn't even very good, some of it was cheesy, but he had taken the time to write it, and she knew that it must have been hard. Suddenly, she got a bad feeling, she realised that she needed to put away this notebook, it had caused enough trouble already. Quickly, almost at a run, she went over and recovered it with Grissoms papers. A sense of relief flooded over her, but she wasn't quite sure why.

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Grissom sat in his office, he wondered if he had done thr right thing, leaving Sara to think about Greg. He was sure he had, but somehow, he was still worried about them, they were both young, and probably to two members of his team who could surprise him the most with their emotions. He imagined it now, Greg was probably just leaving his house, Grissom didn't believe his story about being in traffic for a second, Greg just wasn't a good liar. Sara, on the other hand, she could lie through her teeth and he would never notice. But then again everyone knew he had a bit of a soft spot for her. He hadn't been able to focus on the case, a rarity for him, so he could only imagine how it would be if this were to drag on longer. Yes, he had done the right thing, he was certain of it.

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Greg pulled into the lab more then an hour late, normally he would head straight to the lab and start working, hoping that no one would have noticed his absence, but tonight he headed to see Grissom, he knew that Grissom would probably be in his office, so he went to the door and knocked.

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Grissom awoke from his concentration with a start, someone was knocking at his door, he got up and opened it, to find Greg outside. "Greg, how are you?" "I'm okay Griss, just dropping in to let you know that I'm here, and I'm okay." His eyes searched Grissom for an answer to the question he could not put to words. Grissom looked Greg straight in the eyes, and nodded, before saying, "good, nearly everyone else is out, you better get to work. Maybe get a coffee first, you know, to wake you up?" Greg gave Grissom a sideways glance, was he trying to tell Greg what he thought he was? "Um… Okay Griss, thanks." "No problem Greg, no problem." Grissom nodded at him once more, before closing his door.

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A little shellshocked, Greg walked toward the break room, as he looked in the window, he could see Sara at a table, so he had been right, this was why Grissom wanted him to get a coffee first. Greg knew it was now or never.

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Sara heard the door creak open, was it Grissom, checking in? Must be, "I'm okay, Grissom, you better get back to work." She called, not wanting to look over. But she didn't hear Grissoms voice in response, instead she heard "um, actually Sara, it's not Grissom, it's…um… Greg." Saras throat felt like it was closing, she had thought about this for ages, and now it was actually happening. "Greg. Um… Wanan have a seat?" "Depends, am I gonan like what you have to say?" But he took the seat anyway. "I think you will." Said Sara, "look Greg, I have to confess, no one told me about your book, at least, not directly, I heard you talking to Nick yesterday, and when you left, well… I was curious, I mean, can you blame me?" "Yes" Greg said quietly. "Okay, wrong question", said Sara, "but you have to understand, Greg, you're the first guy to pay any real attention to me in a long time, and so I'm willing, if you are, that is, to give this a try. I mean, we'll never know if we don't try, right?" They both sat in silence, neither really believing what she had said. "So," said Greg, "if I'm hearing you properly, you're saying that there's a chance you might feel the same way? Because Sara, you know now, that I've been having these feelings for too long to risk them for a pity date" Sara looked directrly at him, her brown eyes converging with his. She leaned in and gave him a hug and a quick little kiss on the cheek, a tear rolling down her face, then she opened her mouth and looked back into his eyes. "Yes."

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A/N: well, there you have it, not quite the end, but probably close to it, did I do good? Only you can tell me, so R&R ASAP.


	5. Black And Mysterious

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN CSI, WISH I DID, BUT I DON'T, GET OVER IT.

A/N: I'm so excited that you guys like this, the insane ramblings of a hopeless csi fan, but this may very well be the final chap, but just in case, I'm not saying for sure yet.

Edited By Awesomepossum

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Greg lay at home on his bed, thinking about what Sara had said. She, Sara Sidle, the woman he had stared at longingly for over three years, had said she was interested in him. He almost wanted to pinch himself to make sure it wasn't a dream, but then what if it was? If it was a dream, and he was to wake up with none of it true, he wasn't sure he could take it. After all, he was supposed to see her tonight, he'd waited for this night for years, and now that it was happening, he wanted to be sure he didn't waste a minute of it. He looked at his watch, "shit" he thought, "I have to pick Sara up in less then an hour, better get ready!"

He darted to his closet, and in a frenzy, pulled out every piece of clothing he owned. In the end, he decided on a pair of dress slacks, a shirt that Sara had once complimented, and a nice pair of leather shoes. The shirt was dark blue, Sara had told him how clean-cut he had looked that day, he remembered every compliment she had ever paid him. This was probably the most expensive outfit he owned, but she was worth every penny. He still had lots of time, so he did his hair, in the spiky style Sara always said was funny, and he brushed his teeth four times. So what if it was a little presumptuous? He was going out with Sara. That alone warranted perfect breath.

He made a quick run to the corner store and bought a pack of mints, better safe then sorry, he thought. He stopped at a display near the counter, but, being Greg, he wasn't cocky enough to buy the condoms hanging from a placard nearby, although he imagined that if he were Nick or Warrick, he'd probably be stocking up. He was thinking about Sara, and of course, wondering, what she was doing right now. Probably not much, she was so effortlessly perfect that she could show up in jeans and overshadow every other woman in the room. Now all that was left to do was sit back and wait until he had to leave.

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Sara was, in fact, choosing her clothing too, she knew they were just going out for a dinner, but she felt she owed it to Greg to make an effort. To tell the truth, she was actually giddy with the prospect of seeing him outside of work. She felt like a teenage girl before the prom, and that was a new feeling for her. Sure she'd dated guys in Vegas, but none of them had amounted to more then a hill of beans. Now, hopefully, things would change. Greg wasn't like any guy she had ever dated. Sure he was younger, but that didn't really matter, after all, older guys had never treated her very well.

She was going through her closet, but she couldn't think of anything that would be appropriate. It was a first date, and a nice dinner, but she didn't have anything dressy, since she hadn't had any big dates since she moved. Then the idea hit her, she knew exactly what she needed to wear. Luckily for her, she had washed it just the day before. She went over to the freshly folded pile of laundry at the foot of her bed, she pulled out each piece to the perfect date outfit. She put it on, and examined herself in the mirror. "There we go." She chuckled to herself. "Black and mysterious, that's me."

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A/N: R&R ASAP, another short chap, but they help to give a break from long ones. Obviously, there will be at least one more.


	6. To This Moment

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Csi, or any of the characters. Wish I did.

A/N: It's… THE DATE! Yes! They go on the date! I can't wait to write this one!

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Greg paced back and forth in the hallway outside Saras apartment, he was 10 minutes early, and didn't want to seem like a dork by arriving before he was expected. He was nervous, after all, he had been waiting for this for three years, and he didn't want to blow his only chance with the woman of his dreams.

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Sara stood inside her apartment, looking through the peephole, she could see Greg pacing outside, "how cute!" She thought, "he must be so nervous!" She laughed, despite the fact that her stomach was full of butterflies. She watched him pacing, looking at his watch, obviously waiting for the exact time she expected him. Maybe she should just surprise him. She did a quick breath check, smoothed her hair out in the hall mirror, and reapplied her lip-gloss. Then as she reached for the door, she heard a short sharp knock. "Too bad." She thought, "I wanted to surprise him". She opened the door and was faced with a smiling Greg, he pulled a bunch of white roses from behind his back. "Hi Sara… Um… These are for you." Sara smiled and took the roses from him, "oh thanks Greg! These are beautiful, come on in, I'll put them in water, don't be shy, I won't bite, unless you play your cards right." Greg blushed a deep scarlet, Sara giggled, sometimes he was so cute.

Sara put the roses in a vase on the table, and motioned for Greg to follow her, they left her home and she locked her door. She began to walk toward the stairs, but Greg stopped her. "Your outfit, you remembered. It's my favourite, you look really nice. Just thought you'd like to know that." Sara smiled; she had wondered how long it would take him to notice.

They walked the way down to the car park in a relaxed mood, they even carried on a conversation, when they approached Greg's car, he opened the door for her, "Thanks Greg" Sara said, smiling. "So, where are we going?" He had refused to tell her earlier, and she was getting pretty curious. It was Gregs turn to smile, "Sara, Sara, Sara, we'll be there before you know it, give me a little credit, I can cope you know." Sara laughed, "okay Greg, I trust you." Greg walked around to her side of the car, he pulled out a blindfold, "now trust me here Sar', I need to make sure it's a complete surprise." Sara laughed and nodded her head, Greg promptly tied the blindfold around her eyes, got into the drivers seat, and began to drive.

Twenty-five minutes later, Greg slowed the car down and pulled into an empty parking lot, "we're here," he said with a smile. "Goody" Sara said, "can I take this thing off now? It's itchy!" Greg gave a small smile, "no! I forbid it, we're almost there, just a short walk, I worked hard on this, I want it to be perfect." "All right Greg, but would you mind helping me out here? I don't want to damage your favourite outfit." "Okay Sar', I'm coming, hold your horses." Greg swung around to her side, and pulled her out of the car, she tripped, but he lifted her back to her feet, "my hero" Sara said, almost in a whisper.

Greg walked Sara until he came upon their place, a secluded area under a willow tree. Greg remembered Sara remarking that she came here when she needed to think, it was for this reason that he had chosen this spot. He wanted Sara to do some thinking here, thinking about him. He lad laid out a picnic of sorts, chocolate covered strawberries, he had made them himself, he knew they were Saras favourite food. As well, he had bought a bottle of white wine, Two Oceans of course. He really had done his research. But the best part, a bag of butterscotch candy, Sara always remarked that as a little girl, her grandmother had given her them whenever she was sad, Greg knew these would make her happy.

Sara felt Gregs hands on her shoulders, "sit down, don't worry." She gingerly sat down, she could feel a blanket, what kind of dinner was this? Greg silently untied her blindfold, and she found herself in her favourite spot, she looked around her, and saw a beautiful picnic laid out, with all her favourite things, "wow" she thought, "this must have taken Greg forever to put together." How did he know what her favourite foods were? Even her favourite brand of wine. Greg was sitting across from her, looking nervous, "why isn't she saying anything?" he wondered to himself, but just as he was about to ask if she liked it, she leaned in and whispered "I love it, Greg, this is beautiful, thank you." And gave him a short little peck and then pulled away, "really" she said, their lips still touching.

Greg felt a feeling of relief rush over him, she liked it, she had kissed him, and he forgot everything he had worried about before. He realised that no one was speaking, "well Sara, um, do you want to try some of these strawberries? I made them myself, I know how they're your favourites." She smiled, and opened her mouth, he picked one up and popped it in, she chewed it and swallowed, "well Greg, those are great, you try one." He picked one for himself, ate it, and smiled, "well Sara, I think I have outdone myself, better then anything I cook up in the lab eh?" "Much" Said Sara, showing off her famous smile.

Greg was floating on air, he was sitting here with this angel of a woman, she was smiling at him, her thin lips tinted red from the strawberries they had been eating. He leaned forward and opened the bottle of wine he had brought along and poured them each a glass. Sara took a sip, smiled, and then lifted her glass, "to this moment" she said with a smile, Greg lifted his, "and the rest of our lives". They both drank, and somehow, they knew that this drink was special.

Sara put down her wine, and leaned over to the dish of candy Greg had bought, she remembered those from when she was a child. She picked one up and unwrapped it, then popped it into her mouth. She sucked on it slowly, it was so nice, and she felt like if she could just freeze this moment, that everything would be okay. She put her head on Gregs shoulder, and they gazed out into the night. The absence of the usual first-date awkwardness had confused them both, but they trusted it as a good thing. She sat up, leaned forward and kissed him again, he smiled, her lips tasted like butterscotch, it was a new sensation. He liked it. He wanted it, and he decided right then that he wasn't going to let it go.

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A/N: This was by far my favourite chap to write so far, I used some of the best moments from my own life to parallel Greg and Saras evening. It was nice to remember those moments, and I really hope they came across as real as they are in my memory. Please R&R ASAP.


	7. Do Friends Kiss That Way?

Disclaimer: I don't own CSI, it's a pity, but I'm over it.

A/N: This might be the last chapter to this story, I really like writing it though, so we'll see.

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Sara lay in her bed, thinking about Greg. He had worked so hard to make that evening memorable. It had been, without a doubt, the best date she had ever had. She had felt so at ease with him. They had sat there, below that tree, for nearly 5 hours, they had had a deep, meaningful conversation, they had shared too many kisses to count, and they had learned more about each other then Sara had learned about Nick, Warrick, or Catherine in 5 years. She was surprised at how thoughtful Greg could be. She had always just seen him as Greggo, always there, not particularly remarkable, though not unremarkable. She had never really thought of him as a close friend, let alone a potential love interest. But tonight had changed her mind. There was definitely room for him in her life.

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Greg sat in his kitchen, waiting for the water in his kettle to boil. He got up and got a tea bag from his cupboard, then pulled out his favourite mug. The kettle whistled, and he dropped in his teabag and stirred. He loved tea, ever since he was a child, he had relaxed with a cup of tea before bed every night, and although tonight was rather an extraordinary night, he could not be pulled out of tradition. He lay back on his old recliner and thought about what had happened that evening. He felt his lips, had she really kissed them? He could scarcely believe it, when he pulled his hand away, there were traces of her red lipstick on his fingers.

He lay back, his mind drifting back to her, she had smiled at him, that adorable grin that had permeated so many of his dreams. He had been wrong, he couldn't feel the gap in her teeth when they kissed. But his question had been answered, and she had been willing to answer it over and over. He realised that maybe she had felt this way all along, it was a notion he had nursed for eons, but never really believed.

He loved thinking about how happy she had seemed with him, he hadn't seen her smile that way in a long time, not since that day with Hank, outside the lab. Greg was so glad he could make her happy. He loved seeing her smile, he loved her smile, he was glad she hadn't fixed that gap in her teeth. He loved knowing that he was the one who had put that smile on her face. He pulled out the candies that she had been eating earlier. He remembered that taste, the taste had been on her lips when she had kissed him. Somehow, he found it to be the best taste in the world. He popped one into his mouth and lay back, focusing on the taste, letting the memory take him back in time.

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Sara sat on her bed, wondering what Greg was doing at that moment. Knowing Greg, probably something fun, maybe watching SNL or Monty Python. She knew those were two of his favourites. She could imagine him lying back, laughing his head off. She realised that he probably spent his days doing just that, and yet he could somehow spend his nights in a job that totally drained people. That was what she loved about him. He was different then her other colleagues. He cared about her. She liked that.

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Sara walked into the lab the next day, she knew she had to see Greg. She wanted to thank him for the previous night. She had lain awake all night thinking about him. She had never done that for any other guy, not even Grissom, she had never let him consume her this way. It was a little scary for her, the first time she had ever felt this way. Now she knew how Greg had felt about her for so long. She broke into a run and weaved her way through the lab, until eventually she stopped at Greg's lab. She looked inside, it was dark. Odd, Greg was usually inside, "Oh well" she thought, he'd be there soon, she was half an hour early, after all. She smiled to herself, soon enough.

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Greg pulled into the lab parking lot, he felt his heart pounding in his chest. He knew what would happen, he'd see HER, he'd see Sara. He was almost too excited to drive properly. He walked quickly from his car to the front door, once he walked in, Sara was nowhere in sight, he searched all over the lab for her, but he couldn't find her anywhere. He decided to go his lab, once he arrived, he noticed a small, nondescript package by the door. He lifted it, it felt light, he walked in, and turning on the light, sat down, and opened the package. A box of Orange Pekoe tea, his favourite, he smiled, he had run out. There was a note attached. "Thanks Greg. You gave me something special last night, now, I'm giving back. Love, your Sara." Greg smiled.

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Sara sat on her couch at home again. She was tired; it had been a long night at work. There had been a rape case that paralleled her own rape. The victim had been so frightened, saying that she'd never be able to trust guys again. Sara remembered that feeling. And up until that night with Greg, she had believed it. She lay back and fell into a dreamless sleep, she needed it.

An hour later, she was awoken by a knock at her door. She groggily opened it to reveal Greg standing there. "Can I come in?" He asked, looking fairly amused at the site of her, wiping her eyes. "Sure Greg, I was just" She yawned "Sleeping." She opened the door wide enough for him to step in. "Look Sara, I wanted to thank you for the tea, I'll definitely use it. I wanted to talk to you though, about us, about our future. That is, if we have one."

Sara's eyes opened. "Greg, the other night was amazing. The best date I've ever had." Greg blushed. "Can I sit down Sar'?" Sara walked over to her couch, she sat down, and she beckoned for Greg to do the same. The couch was still warm. Greg moved toward her and sat down, he took her hands in his. "Look Sara, we're on the same page here, for both of us, the other night was special, I knew you felt it too." "Yeah, of course I did, Greg, we've been friends for years, it was bound to be special, you knew that. I had to be persuaded, but now that you've opened my eyes, I realise that we have a great relationship, the best ones end up the way we are now. Good friends." Greg lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed them. Then he leaned in and kissed her, "really?" He asked, "do friends kiss that way?" Sara kissed him back. Then she pulled away and looked deep into his eyes. "No, no they don't."

Fin.

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A/N: Yes. It's all over. Thanks to all who enjoyed it, please feel free to R&R this and my other stories (Hint). I Figured I'd end it in the nicest way possible, I thought this was pretty sweet, but it's for you to decide in the end.


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